Vehicle-cover.



PATENTED 313. 12, 1907. E." 1;. WESTBROOKE.

VEHICLE COVER.

APPLIGATION IIIIBD SEPT. 15. 1906- I 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N VE N 7'01? Edward J 7/2 3? ra 0/56 WITNESSES MW/M60 rm: "cams PETERSca, wAsnmaz-on, n. c.

PATENTED. FEB. 12, 1907.

E. L. 'WESTBROOKE.

VEHICLE COVER. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 15. 1906.

4 SHEETSSHEET Z.

INVEIIIVVTOR WITNESSES A TTORNE Y S m: "all": rifins cm, musnmcrorl. u.c,

No. 844,220. PATENTED FEB.12,- 1907.

E. L. WESTBROOKE.

VEHICLE COVER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.15,1906.

' 4 SHEETSSHEET a.

y WITNESSES 7 I q I 1 ATTORNEYS ml "cums rlrllu C0" wnsnmam". n. c.

PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

B. L. WESTBROOKE.

VEHICLE COVER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. '15. 1906.

4 SHBETS-SHEET 4.

I cZzozzrcZL. 71262510022 WITNESSES A TTORNE 78 THE NORRIS FITERS co.,wAsnmamM, n. c.

UNITED STATES ATFNT @FFTQF.

VEHICLE-COVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed September 15, 1906. Serial No. 334,728,

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. WEsr- BROOKE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of J onesboro, in the county of Craighead andState of Arkansas, have invented a new and Improved Vehicle-Cover, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a dustproof protector for vehicles of allkinds to be used when the vehicle is standing still, and is particularlydesirable as a protector from dust folr automobile carriages, surreys,and the The object of the invention is to produce a cover properlysupported and-susp ended from above the vehicle and capable of beingdropped down around it and protect it from dust and at the same time islightenough to be readily drawn up from the vehicle when it is desiredto use the latter.

The device is preferably constructed of a heavy dustproof cloth held inplace by suitable mechanism, hereinafter described, and capable of beingeasily raised and lowered.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis s peci'fication, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of my improved vehicle-cover in its raised position.Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the mechanism employed to support andoperate the walls of the cover. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portionof the supporting means. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the means fortightening the supporting-wire. Fig. 5 is a detail of a lower corner ofthe cover. Fig. 6 shows a modified form of the support for the entiredevice, and Fig. 7 shows a second modified form of the supporting means.

My improved vehicle-cover comprises four side walls or curtains 1 ofdust-proof fabric, secured together along their vertical edges andforming an inclosure large enough to receive any desired vehicle. Theupper edge of each curtain or side wall is provided with a plurality ofrings or eyes 2, by which the curtain is supported upon a tight wire 3stretched on the overhead support.

In the preferred form of construction namely, that illustrated in Figs.1', 2, and 3-I provide four plates 4, 5, 6, and 7, secured to theceiling of a room and located at points about the four corners of theinclosed space formed by the curtains. Each of the cornerplates issecured in place in any suitable manner and provided with a postextending downwardly from the plates any suitable distance. Three ofthese posts 8 are provided with an annular recess 9, adjacent theirlower ends, while the fourth one, 8 namely, the post susp ended from thep late 4 is provided with perforations, through which extend the ends ofthe supporting-wire 3. This wire extends from the post 8 to the post onthe next adjacent plate, and after encircling the post at the annularrecess 9 it extends to the second post, and so on around to the post onthe plate 4, where it again passes through an opening. The wirestretching from post to post forms a rectangle the size and shape ofwhich determines the size of the inclosure below, inasmuch as thecurtain is suspended from this wire. To prevent the wire from saggingand to maintain it taut at all times, 1 provide a ratchet 10 on the post8 which ratchet isprevented from rotating on one direction by aspringpressed pawl 11. By turning the post 3 by means of a key or in anyother suitable manner the wire may be wound around the post 8 and as itis free to move around the post 8 may be tightened throughout its entirelength by the use of a single ratchet.

The lower end of the curtain is securely fastened to a rectangular frame12, preferably formed of metal tubing, which frame serves as a weight tohold the lower end-of the curtain down and at the same time hold it toits rectangular shape. The curtain at each corner is preferably providedwith a sleeve 1.3, inclosing a cord extending from the corner of theframe 12 to suitable pulleyson the overhead support, the sleeves servingto maintain the curtain in position as it is being raised by said cords.The metal frame 12is preferably provided with upwardly-extending armsforming a U-sl1aped receiver 14, which gathers in the folds of thecurtain and supports the same when it is in its raised position.(Clearlyindicated inFig. 1.) Thisreceiver may, if desired, be coveredwith fabric or other material, whereby it is prevented from scratchingthe sides of a vehicle, should the latter not be centrally locatedwithinthe cover.

For raising and lowering the curtain I provide suitable pulleys on theoverhead plates 4, 5, 6, and 7, over which the cords from the corners ofthe curtain are extended, and in order that all sides ofthe curtain maybe raised simultaneously and by a single operation I preferably providetwo of the cornerplatesnamely, 6 and 7with single pulleys and 16, havingtheir axes mounted in a horizontal plane and in any suitable form ofjournals. The corner-plate 4 is provided, not only with a pulley 17,similar to the pulleys 15 and 16, but is also provided with a secondpulley 18, mounted with its axis in a vertical line and adapted toreceive the rope 19, which passes over the pulley 16 and to the lowercorner of the curtain. This pulley 18 is preferably mounted closelyadjacent to the plate 4 and is provided with a curved protecting-shield20, closely following the outer surface of the pulley through a portionof its circumference and designed to prevent the accidental displacementof the cord 19 from the pulley.

The plate 5 is provided with five pulleys, one of which, 21, is similarin all respects to the pulley 18, save that its protecting-shield 22 ismounted on the opposite side, whereby the cord 19 coming from the.pulley 16 and around the pulley 18 may pass on the opposite side of thepulley 19 and to one of a set of four pulleys mounted on horizontal axesand over which pass the four cords from the four corners of the curtain.One of these pulleys 23 receives the cord 19 from the opposite plate 7after each cord has passed around the pulleys 18 and 21, while a secondpulley 24 receives the cord 25 coming from the adjacent corner-plate 4after the cord has passed over the pulley 17, a third pulley 26 receivesthe cord 27 from the other adjacent cornerplate 6 after the cord haspassed over the pulley 15, and the fourth pulley 28 receives the cord29, secured to the curtain directly below said pulley. The four cords19, 25, 2, and 29 are attached together or to a suitable plate 30 ata'point closely adjacent the plate 5 when the curtain is in its lowestposition, and from this plate 30 extends a'cord 31, by which all four ofthe cords may be pulled simultaneously and all four of the cornersraised at the same time. As the corners of the curtain are raised thesleeves 13 on the curtain are gathered in folds on the cornerrods andthe intermediate folds of the curtain are held within the U-shapedreceivers 14. Thus all four walls of the cover are raised evenly anduniformly and prevented from sagging or falling below the bottom frame12.

The bearings of the pulleys are made as easy running as possible, and asthe curtain itself weighs but little very little strength is required toraise the entire device by pulling on the cord 31.

The four walls are connected at their upper ends by a horizontal wall orcover 32, so that when the cover is dropped into position it completelyand perfectly incloses the vehicle, and it is impossible for any dust ordirt to settle thereon, which dust and dirt, as is well known, is veryinjurious to the highlypolished surfaces of vehicles.

In the form disclosed in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the improved vehicle-cover isdesigned to be supported from the ceiling or other suitable structurewithin a garage or other building, but it is evident that thecorner-plates may be supported in any suitable manner. In Fig. 6 lhaveshown a detail of one corner in which the plate 7 is secured to theceiling or other overhead support by two telescoping tubes 33 and 34,held in any desired position by a set-screw 35. It is evident that bythe employment of such supportin means for the corner-plates that may beeld at any desired distance beneath the ceiling of a room, thus avoidingthe necessity of having a curtain of much greater height than that ofthe vehicle.

For supporting my improved vehicle-cover from the ground or in thecenter of a large room or building having a high ceiling I may, ifdesired, provide extensible supports made up of telescoping tubes 36 and37 adapted to be secured to the ground in any suitable manner and havingbranch supports 38 at the upper end thereof adapted to be secured to thecorner-plates. When this form of support is employed, I referably holdthe corner-plates apart at their upper ends by suitable rods 39, havingturnbuckles 40 intermediate their length, whereby the cornerplates maybe held at any desired distance apart and the curtain-supporting wires 3drawn as taut as desired without relaxing the upper end of thestructure. This form of support is especially desirable for use byersons touring the country, as it may be fo ded u. into very smallcompass and carried on t evehicle. At night it would take but a fewminutes to erect the protection and would then serve to keep off the dewas well as the dust, and might even be employed to protect the occupantsof a vehicle during a storm.

The entire device is very light, strong, and durable and when in use issupported at such a distance above the floor of a building that it isentirely out of the way and does not interfere with the free use of thebuilding. When it is desired to cover a vehicle, all that is necessaryis to run the vehicle beneath the cover and by unfastening the rope 31from anysuitable cleat or catch on the wall the walls of the cover dropdown around the vehicle to perfectly exclude dust and moisture.-

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A vehicle-covercomprising a rectangular body portion formed of dust-proof fabric,

means for supporting the upper edges of said body portion at a definitedistance above the floor, and means for simultaneously raising all thelower sides to points adjacent the upper sides, said means comprising apulley supported above each upper corner of the body portion, and cordsconnected to each lower corner of the body portion and extending oversaid pulleys.

2. A vehicle-cover, comprising four downwardly-extending posts, asupporting-wire connecting said posts, means for tightening the saidwire, curtains or side walls suspended from said wire, and means forsimultaneously raising the lower edges of said side walls, said meanscomprising a pulley supported above each upper corner of the bodyportion, and cords connected to each lower corner of the body portionand extending over said pulleys.

3. A vehicle-cover, comprising four corner-plates, suitable pulleysmounted on the under sides thereof, downwardly-extending posts carriedby said plates, a supportingwire connecting the posts, means fortightening said wire, curtains or side walls suspended from said wire,and means for simul taneously raising the lower edges of said sidewalls, said raising means comprising ccrds secured to the four cornersand extending over the said pulleys.

4.' A vehicle-cover, comprising suitable overhead supports,downwardly-extending posts carried thereby, 'side walls of suitablefabric, a wire connecting said posts and adapted to support the upperedges of said side walls, a rectangular frame carried by said side wallsat the lower edges thereof, pulleys carried by said overhead supports,and cords extending from the corners of said frame and.

over said pulleys, whereby all of said side walls may be simultaneouslyraised.

5. A vehicle-cover, comprising four side walls of suitable fabric,stationary means forv supporting the upper edges of said side walls, arectangular frame carried by the lower edges thereof, a plurality ofU-shaped receivers supported on said frame, and meansconnected to thecorners of said frame for raising the latter, whereby the folds of theside walls are received within the U-shaped receivers. 1

6. A vehicle-cover, comprising suitable overhead supports, means foradjusting the height of said supports, downwardly-extending postscarried by said supports, a supporting-wire connecting said posts, meanswhereby the wire may be drawn taut, side walls or 'curtains suspendedfrom said wire, and means independent of said wire for si multaneouslyraising or lowering all of said side walls.

7. A vehicle-cover comprising four corneri plates, independent means forsupporting said plates, a downwardly-extending post carried by each ofsaid plates, a wire connecting the lower ends of said posts, means fortightening said wire, a pulley mounted on the under side of each of saidplates, a rectangular frame, cords connecting the respec tive corners ofsaid frames with said pulleys,

EDWARD LYNN WESTBROOKE. Witnesses:

E. O. STUCK, J. H. MANGRUM.

